Flood warning system in works at Waldo

An early warning system is being put in place over the Waldo Canyon burn scar in order to assist with evacuations and road closures.

It’s especially vital because the August floods in Manitou Springs occurred over areas that were rated “low intensity” by the U.S. Geological Survey in its assessment of danger from the area decimated by the 2012 fire.

“It is amazing to see the amount of debris still standing in this low-impact area,” USGS Pueblo office chief David Mau told the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District board Thursday.

The National Forest Service and Colorado Department of Transportation are working with USGS to develop a system that incorporates real-time camera images, weather data and stream gauge readings with probability models to determine when and where a big flood could hit.

Rain anywhere over the 19,000-acre Waldo Canyon burn scar will be more intense for years to come until vegetation grows back, Mau explained.

“On a steep slope, the flows are two to three times as intense as they otherwise would be,” he said.

In the area where rain hit during the August floods, trees are still standing. If rain falls in the Cascade area, the flows could be higher and more deadly.

As many as 50,000 cars per day pass through the area on U.S. 24, which has been closed several times during recent storms.

Mau shared images from Four Mile Creek near Boulder, which went from a trickle to a massive torrent overnight last week. That flood actually washed out the recording station, but by monitoring it, agencies were able to warn people of the coming danger.

In some places in the Waldo Canyon area, it could mean only about 6-7 minutes warning before a wall of water hits U.S. 24. That’s enough time for CDOT to close the highway, however.

“The nice thing about probability models is that they save lives,” Mau said.